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Author Notes:Savory, crispy French toast. Salty, with a heavy kick of black pepper. This was one of my favorite Sunday breakfasts growing up, the smell of the toasts frying up a scent memory that still takes me back.

This fried bread I grew up eating, called khara pao (khara means “spicy”), is South Asia’s answer to French toast, typically served with a kicked-up tomato ketchup. My family was partial to black pepper, but I’ve seen turmeric, chili powder, cayenne and even cumin added. And South Asia’s not the only one that goes the savory route. In other cultures, they do similar-style “eggy toasts”—Italy’s has mozzarella and tomato sauce, Russia’s is simple salt, egg and milk, and Hungary serves theirs with onions, tomatoes, ketchup, and even mayonnaise…

This version is so ridiculously easy to make, and requires ingredients we all usually have on hand. I’m a savory brunch person myself, and this is such a delicious alternative to the sweet version. The crispy, salty, pepper-heavy toast dipped in a cool, spicy, slightly sweet, tomato-ey ketchup is a truly heavenly combination that will quickly move into your go-to, I-have-leftover-bread-and-don’t-know-what-to-do-with-it rotation. Breakfast or even as a mid-afternoon snack—enjoy!
—aliyaleekong

Food52 Review: Aliyaleekong may have grown up eating this savory french toast, but for those of us who weren't so lucky, here's her easy recipe that might just make you turn your back on sweet french toast forever. It still pairs well with eggs and bacon, but (dare we say it?) this french toast would also make a mean Monte Cristo. - A&M —The Editors

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Serves 4 to 6

For the French toast:

5
eggs

3
tablespoons half-and-half

1
teaspoon salt

2
teaspoons black pepper

1 1/2
tablespoons green onions, finely chopped (optional)

1 1/2
tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

vegetable oil

butter

8
(1/2-inch) slices day-old bread*, cut on the diagonal

For the sauce:

Ketchup

Sriracha

In a bowl or baking dish, beat together eggs with half-and-half, salt, pepper, green onions, and cilantro.

Heat a medium or large skillet over medium-high heat. Cover the bottom of the skillet with vegetable oil and add a tablespoon or two of butter for taste.

Dip the bread triangles into the egg batter, drain off any excess, and place straight into the hot pan. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side – you want to develop a golden-brown color and the texture should be crispier than traditional French toast. Place cooked toasts on a paper towel-lined plate or rack to drain.

In a small bowl, mix together ketchup and hot sauce to your desired heat tolerance.

Serve toasts warm with a side of the spicy ketchup.

*I like to use a country or pullman loaf for this. You want it to stand up to the egg batter and not get mushy, so I always go for a day-old loaf.

Made this for myself with 2 eggs, two slices of bread. Used milk, garlic, shallot, and scallion greens along with salt and pepper. Threw in a little dried oregano at the last minute on a whim. Also made the sauce. Fantastic. Will definitely make again.

We have always had savory French Toasts at home. The savory ones were called Bombay Toast. Home version would also include finely chopped green chilies for some extra heat. Had versions with finely grated Dhakai cheese which is a semi hard salty local cheese of Bangladesh in the egg batter along with the usual chilli, cilantro, chopped shallots, spring onion, salt n pepper.

Finally.....my kind of French toast - just bread dipped in eggs (no cream/milk). I'm from a Hungarian background and we always ate our French toast with Ketchup. I like using Heinz's hot and spicy ketchup and of course salt the toast. Try telling that to an American/Canadian and they usually say 'oohh' and have a pained look on their face. My response is that it's eggs and bread so it makes perfect sense! I often eat this for a easy, quick supper.

I served this alongside some homemade soup and it was perfect for dunking. I had dill and chives on hand instead of scallions and cilntro and it was delicious, though I found it to be heavy and could only eat 1/2 slice. We ended up reheating the rest for breakfast the next day. Yum!

I've never had the slightest interest in syrupy sweet and eggy French toast. As a kid, my bro and dad shared that joy alone. Ironically, now my fave desserts are those of the eggy, custardy persuasion. Go figure. But THIS, this is the answer - savory AND kicked up, times TWO even. And scallions? Stop, you had me at sriracha ketchup. Brunch list status achieved. Well done.

My dear old sainted mother made a savory French Toast sans green onions and cilantro. She served it buttered. I was horrified the first time I ordered French Toast in a restaurant and it was sweet. Yuck. I suppose it is another version of the mayonnaise/salad dressing debate where the right choice is whatever your mother served. It’s mayo for me and don’t you dare get close to my watermelon with that salt shaker. If you put salt on it prepare to wear it as a hat. I’m going to give the onions & cilantro a try but I think I’ll stick with that good ol’ artery clogging real butter. Mmmmmm!
Oh yeah, as it happened the Cooks Country TV program had an episode on which they made French Toast (the sweet junk) today. They did make a couple of suggestions which I think just might improve the product. They suggested using Challah and they also suggested you dry the bread in a warm oven for a few minutes. They said day old or air dried bread still contain water crystals which rehydrate when frying which makes the bread mushy. John

Challah makes awesome French toast. I got a Williams-Sonoma recipe for Challah made in the bread machine that makes it easy. Store bought Challah is kind of pricey. And not nearly as good. I remember the first time I had French toast. I was a small child living in Tokyo in the 50's and one of the neighbors gave me a little piece. I ran home and raved about it to my mother, and she learned to make it for me. I'm in the sweet camp, but this sounds interesting, too.

Has anyone tried freezing this toast? I often whip up a big batch of pancakes & put the overflow in the freezer, to defrost as the craving hits. I would love to do the same with this toast. If no one's tried it, I'm willing to give it a shot & let you know the results. If you recommend against it, please let me know!